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Thursday 6 March 2025
Waterloo Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A man who possessed child pornography pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Forrest Rindels, age 69, of Waterloo, was convicted of two counts of possession of child pornography. At the plea hearing, Rindels admitted that, between 2021 and 2022, he knowingly possessed child pornography on a tablet and a micro SD card. He also admitted that he was convicted of receipt of child pornography in the Northern District of Iowa in 2016.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Rindels remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Rindels faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, and supervised release for 5 years to life following any imprisonment.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Tremmel and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Waterloo Police Department.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is CR 24-2055.
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Virginia Man Convicted of Hate Crime for Attempted Church ShootingRead the Press Release
After a four-day trial, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict today for Rui Jiang, of Falls Church, Virginia, who was charged with attempting to obstruct the congregants of a church in Haymarket, Virginia, in the free exercise of their religious beliefs. The charge included that the defendant’s attempted act involved a dangerous weapon and an attempt to kill. Jiang also faced charges for transmitting online threats and a firearms violation. The jury found Jiang guilty on all counts.
According to evidence presented at trial, Jiang began posting online threats against the church on the evening of Sept. 23, 2023, which made clear his intention to kill congregants.
On the morning of Sept. 24, 2023, police began searching for Jiang in response to a concerned citizen’s call about his posts. Police officers located Jiang inside the front entrance to the church while Sunday services were underway. Church volunteers, independently concerned about Jiang’s behavior, had just approached Jiang when police arrived. Jiang was armed with a semiautomatic handgun and two full magazines of ammunition. He had an additional 34 rounds of ammunition in his nearby car.
During a search of Jiang’s apartment, police discovered five copies of a letter, each signed by Jiang in ink, which read in part, “To the families of those men about to be slain – I am sorry for what I have done and about to do (sic).”
Jiang was arrested by Prince William County Police on Sept. 24, 2023, and has been in custody since that time.
Jiang faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 18. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mac Warner of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Acting Assistant Director in Charge Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI investigated the case, with substantial assistance from the Prince William County and Fairfax County Police Departments. The Anne Arundel County Police Department also provided assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas A. Durham and Troy A. Edwards Jr. for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
U.S. Attorney's Office, HSI and ATF Charge Four Illegal Aliens with Firearms Offenses in New MexicoRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – Federal authorities announced charges against four illegal aliens for unlawful possession of firearms and related offenses following a series of state-wide law enforcement operations.
On February 25, 2025, HSI executed a search warrant at an apartment in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In one bedroom, agents recovered a loaded pistol with an extended magazine containing 19 rounds of ammunition. A witness stated that the firearm belonged to Maikol Ramos and had previously seen it in his possession.
Ramos, a citizen of Venezuela, was confirmed to be present in the United States unlawfully. Ramos is charged by criminal complaint with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm or ammunition.
In another bedroom, agents recovered another loaded pistol and ammunition from under a bed. Antoni Herrera, confirmed to be a Venezuelan national unlawfully present in the U.S., admitted the firearm was his and that he had received it two weeks prior as payment for a debt.
Herrera is charged by criminal complaint with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm or ammunition.
On February 19, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a federal search warrant at a residence of Raul Esparza-Gonzalez in Espanola, New Mexico. Agents discovered 11 firearms, including pistols, revolvers, shotguns, and rifles. Esparza-Gonzalez admitted to purchasing the firearms privately, knowing it was illegal for him to possess them. He stated he had been deported to Mexico previously and re-entered the United States illegally about six years ago. Esparza-Gonzalez is charged by criminal complaint with being an alien in possession of a firearm.
In a separate investigation, HSI initiated an inquiry into Cristhian Ortega-Lopez in January 2025, following an anonymous tip. Ortega-Lopez, an illegal alien from Venezuela suspected of being affiliated with Tren de Aragua, was allegedly residing with other illegal aliens in Las Cruces and had been in possession of firearms. The investigators determined Ortega-Lopez had entered the U.S. illegally on December 15, 2023, and was released pending removal proceedings. Social media evidence showed Ortega-Lopez in possession of multiple firearms at a shooting range in Las Cruces.
Ortega-Lopez is charged by criminal complaint with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm or ammunition.
All four men will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, they each face 15 years in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin, Jason T. Stevens, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso and Brendan Iber, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement today.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated these cases with enforcement assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office, Albuquerque Police Department and New Mexico State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy Trembley, Patrick Cordova, Maria Armijo, and Ry Ellison are prosecuting these cases.
U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Sentencing in Alien Smuggling CaseRead the Press Release
ALBUQUERQUE – A Florida man was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, following a dramatic high-speed pursuit and arrest in southern New Mexico.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on the night of July 15, 2024, Border Patrol agents observed Omar Ozuna-Berneda, 49, a Cuban national and lawful permanent resident, driving a white tractor-trailer on New Mexico State Road 26 near Deming. The vehicle had been previously observed traveling in tandem with other tractor-trailers caught in failed smuggling attempts. When agents attempted to initiate a stop, Ozuna-Berneda led them on a dangerous high-speed pursuit, including swerving into oncoming traffic to avoid a controlled tire deflation device and driving on the shoulder of the highway.
After 22 miles, Ozuna-Berneda left the vehicle on New Mexico State Road 26 near the city limits of Hatch, New Mexico, and fled on foot. The abandoned tractor-trailer was blocking both lanes traffic and Border Patrol agents discovered 31 illegal aliens locked inside the trailer, including an unaccompanied 8-year-old child. Ozuna-Berneda was later apprehended by Border Patrol agents hiding in brush several miles from the abandoned tractor-trailer.
During questioning, Ozuna-Berneda admitted to knowingly transporting illegal aliens from Las Cruces to Albuquerque in exchange for payment.
“Those who violate our immigration laws by engaging in human smuggling endanger both the public and law enforcement through their reckless actions.,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin. “We are resolute in our mission to enforce our immigration laws, dismantle smuggling networks, and prosecute those who put so many lives at risk for their own financial gain."
“If you aid in violating U.S. immigration laws by attempting to smuggle individuals into the United States, we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent possible,” said U.S. Border Patrol Interim Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar. “Strengthening border security means enforcing strict consequences for those who break the law. With the support of our partners, we will ensure you face prosecution and serve jail time.”
Upon his release from prison, Ozuna-Berneda will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector, made the announcement today.
U.S. Border Patrol investigated this case with assistance from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Land Management. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joni Autrey Stahl is prosecuting the case.
Turkish national arrested for allegedly selling counterfeit goods at mall kiosksRead the Press Release
DAYTON, Ohio – A man who operates kiosks at a local mall was arrested today by federal agents for allegedly trafficking counterfeit goods.
Emre Teski, 25, is a citizen of Turkey and illegally entered the United States of America from Mexico on September 10, 2022. Teski admitted to illegally crossing the international boundary without being inspected by an immigration officer at a designated Port of Entry. On January 3, 2024, Teski was ordered removed from the United States, but has since appealed this decision and was permitted employment authorization while his appeal is pending. Teski operates kiosks selling counterfeit goods at the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek.
According to charging documents, Teski ran one kiosk that primarily sold replica professional soccer jerseys and hats containing trademarked soccer teams, including FC Barcelona, Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami, Manchester City and Arsenal. Teski operated another kiosk that sold primarily oversized slippers that look like sneakers and included Nike and Air Jordan trademarks.
Teski allegedly sold an investigator counterfeit Nike slippers that illegally used the trademark Nike Swoosh. It is alleged that he also sold a counterfeit pink Messi jersey.
Agents executed a search warrant at the kiosks today and seized numerous items containing confirmed or suspected counterfeit trademarks.
Trafficking counterfeit goods is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is representing the United States in this case.
A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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Tax refund scheme leads to convictions for Hampton Roads fraudstersRead the Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Hampton Roads duo pled guilty to their roles in a refund scheme involving pandemic relief tax credits.
According to court documents, between Oct. 11, 2022, and May 24, 2023, Kendra Michelle Eley, 36, of Norfolk, filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) eight Forms 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Returns, for Kreative Designs by Kendra, LLC, (KDK) using the Employer Identification Number assigned to Kendra Cleans Maid Service. These eight forms covered four tax periods in 2020 and four tax periods in 2021.
Eley falsely reported wages paid and federal tax withholdings for eighteen purported employees on each of the forms, knowing there were no such employees. For the four forms filed for 2021, Eley claimed false Sick and Family Leave Credits and Employee Retention Credit (ERC) through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, totaling approximately $713,000 and $252,000 respectively, with total refunds claimed of over $900,000.
Based on Eley’s filings, on December 9, 2022, and on December 13, 2022, the IRS issued two U.S. Treasury refund checks made payable to '‘Kendra M. Eley, Kendra Cleans Maid Services” totaling $649,050.
On Dec. 23, 2022, Eley and Rejohn Isaiah Whitehead, 28, of Portsmouth, opened a business checking account in the name of Kendra Cleans Maid Services LLC (KCMS), and the signatories on the account were Eley and Whitehead. To open the business account, Eley and Whitehead falsely represented the nature and extent of KCMS as a business, including that KCMS had sixteen employees and that the average pay rate of each employee was $2,000. Eley funded the account by depositing one of the refund checks in the amount of $389,640. On Jan. 9, 2023, Eley wrote Whitehead a check from the KCMS account for $20,000. Eley wrote Whitehead another check from the account for $40,000 on Jan. 21, 2023.
On Feb. 13, Whitehead pled guilty to engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26 and faces up to 10 years in prison.
Eley pled guilty today to one count each of false claims and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9 and faces up to 10 years in prison.
Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kareem A. Carter, IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Washington D.C. Field Office, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson accepted the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Therese O'Brien and Mack Coleman are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-cr-77.
Tampa Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing A Firearm and Ammunition as A Convicted FelonRead the Press Release
Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Brandon Palmore (30, Tampa) today pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Palmore faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. Palmore has agreed to forfeit the Sig Sauer handgun and ammunition used in the commission of the offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, on December 1, 2023, agents were conducting surveillance at an apartment complex in Tampa in relation to an outstanding arrest warrant for Palmore and observed him walking to his vehicle. As Palmore was given commands to exit the vehicle, he was seen reaching toward the center console and passenger floorboard area of the vehicle. A Sig Sauer handgun was found where Palmore had been seen reaching. The handgun was loaded and had previously been reported stolen. At the time, Palmore had multiple prior felony convictions, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and shooting at, within, or into, a vehicle. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Tampa Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence for occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Suburban Chicago Investment Advisor Charged with Swindling ClientsRead the Press Release
CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago investment advisor has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly swindling clients by soliciting them to invest in nonexistent business opportunities.
RALPH ROGERS III, also known as “Tres Rogers,” 62, of Batavia, Ill., is charged with six counts of wire fraud in an indictment returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. Arraignment in federal court has not yet been scheduled.
According to the indictment, Rogers held himself out as an entrepreneur and investment advisor. From 2021 to 2023, Rogers fraudulently obtained funds from multiple individuals by falsely promising that he would use his professional connections to invest their money in valuable business opportunities, including fiber optic cable installation, copper piping, a physical fitness recovery studio, and materials used to manufacture auto parts, the indictment states. Instead of investing the funds as he had promised, Rogers used the money for his own personal benefit, including for travel, hotel rooms, jewelry, apparel, and gym fees, the indictment states.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Pinkston.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
rogers_indictment.pdfSt. Charles Parish Man Guilty of Being Felon with FirearmRead the Press Release
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that on February 27, 2025, DARRYL DAVIS (“DAVIS”), age 30, a resident of St. Charles Parish, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 922(g)(1).
According to court documents, after reviewing DAVIS’s social media postings about firearms, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) agents began an investigation which revealed that DAVIS had been twice previously convicted of felonies and knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm. DAVIS was arrested on August 14, 2024 and found in possession of a Glock Model 43X, nine- millimeter semi-automatic pistol and ammunition.
DAVIS faces up to 15 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to 3 years of supervised released, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. He is scheduled for sentencing on May 27, 2025.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Greg Kennedy of the Violent Crime Unit.
Spree of Violent Armed Carjackings and Armed Robberies Results in Guilty PleaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Javon Roach, 20, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to his role in a spree of violent armed carjackings and armed robberies perpetrated against 17 victims across Washington D.C. in early 2023.
The plea agreement was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Roach pleaded guilty to three counts of carjacking and two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras scheduled sentencing for June 27, 2025. He is subject to a mandatory minimum of 14 years in prison and facing a sentence up to 20.5 years when he is sentenced.
According to court documents, Roach admitted to perpetrating six armed carjackings and five armed robberies between March 6 and March 28, 2023. In these incidents, Roach used firearms to threaten 16 victims and steal their property. Roach’s prior conviction in Fairfax County, Virginia, for possession of a machinegun and assault of a police officer resulted from his arrest on March 30, 2023. As part of this spree, Roach led police on a high-speed chase in a carjacked vehicle, rammed into police vehicles, and was ultimately arrested with a handgun with a machine gun conversion device attachment on his person.
This case was investigated by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Gaelin Bernstein and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Duvall.
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South Bend Man Sentenced to 97 Months in PrisonRead the Press Release
SOUTH BEND – Leontis Cornelius, 44 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge Jon E. DeGuilio after being found guilty of two counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm following a two-day jury trial in 2023, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.
Cornelius was sentenced to 97 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, Cornelius possessed firearm on two occasions. In May 2020, he was engaged in a shootout outside his house when he fired seven .45 caliber rounds at a moving vehicle. Later, in June 2021, he carried a loaded rifle with a large capacity magazine while in another person’s yard in the middle of the night. Cornelius has multiple prior felony convictions, including discharging a firearm toward a building, assault with a dangerous weapon, delivery/manufacturing of cocaine, and possessing with intent to distribute cocaine, any of which prohibit him from possessing the firearms in this case.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the South Bend Police Department, the St. Joseph County Police Department, and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jerome W. McKeever and Katelan McKenzie Doyle.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Skagit County man once declared a sexually violent predator, pleads guilty to receipt and possession of images of child sexual abuseRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 71–year-old Skagit County man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to receipt and possession of images of child sexual abuse, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Alan Lewis Meirhofer faces a mandatory minimum 15-year prison sentence when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge John H. Chun on June 2, 2025.
According to records filed in the case, Meirhofer befriended teen boys in the Skagit County area by inviting them to hang out at his residence, where he provided them “gifts’ such as food, clothing, alcohol, cash, and marijuana. When one of the boys borrowed the phone, he noticed that Meirhofer had sent members of a group chat, images of his friends. The teen also saw images of child sexual abuse on the phone. The teens mother alerted police and Meirhofer was arrested in March 2021 and his electronic devices were seized.
The FBI asked the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, (NCMEC) for any cyber tips associated with internet accounts linked to Meirhofer. There were more than a dozen reports of images of child sexual abuse linked to accounts controlled by Meirhofer. On July 17, 2024, Meirhofer was taken into federal custody.
In 1988 Meirhofer was convicted of burglary, kidnapping and rape. In 1990, Meirhofer was convicted of Burglary in the First Degree While Armed with a Deadly Weapon and Assault in the Second Degree. Meirhofer was civilly committed to the sexually violent predator Civil Commitment Center on McNeil Island. He was released in 2017 as a registered sex offender level 3, the level with the highest risk of reoffending.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office, the Bellingham Police Department, and the Skagit County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.
Sequoyah County Resident Sentenced for ArsonRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Trevor Scott McGuire, age 24, of Muldrow, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for one count of Arson in Indian Country.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Muldrow Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
On October 2, 2024, McGuire pleaded guilty to the charge. According to investigators, on May 26, 2024, McGuire stopped at a gas station, filled a gallon milk jug with gasoline, drove to a Muldrow residence, doused the kitchen with gasoline, then lit the residence on fire. McGuire later admitted to committing the arson during a phone call with the owner of the residence.
The crime occurred in Sequoyah County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. McGuire will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Gross represented the United States.
Second defendant sentenced to 7 years in prison for drug trafficking from RVs near a state parkRead the Press Release
Seattle –A King County woman, arrested after law enforcement discovered a drug lab and cache of firearms and explosives inside an RV near a state park, was sentenced today to seven years in prison for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and unlawful possession of a machinegun, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Chandler Bennett, 30, and her partner Braiden F. Wilson, were arrested following a May 12, 2024, shooting in rural King County. At today’s sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Lauren King said, “You were taking deliveries of fentanyl at your mobile home… These crimes were egregious. You distributed a large amount of dangerous drugs.”
“Ms. Bennett was a key player in the drug distribution activities, negotiating the prices for fentanyl and other drugs from the couple’s supplier,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “The activities of Ms. Bennett and her co-defendant no doubt contributed to the crisis of fentanyl abuse that continues to plague our communities.”
According to records filed in the case, Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) was investigating Bennett and Wilson for dealing drugs on the dark web, when King County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the RV near Olallie State Park
when Wilson was shot. The deputies noticed that the RV had surveillance cameras and asked to get access to the recorded video to identify the assailant. Bennett refused to allow law enforcement to enter the RV, so they sought a warrant from a King County Judge.
When law enforcement entered the RV, they found a large cache of weapons as well as fentanyl powder, tablets containing fentanyl, and sundry items associated with the manufacture of tablets, including a manual pill press. Law enforcement located more than two and a half kilograms of fentanyl-laced pills. Law enforcement seized 16 firearms, body armor, silencers, and ballistic shields. They also found gun parts made from 3D printers – making them untraceable. There were multiple destructive devices and literature on the chemistry and manufacturing of explosives, as well as literature on how to convert firearms to fully automatic capability.
Agents and officers also searched two storage units associated with Bennett and Wilson and found two additional pill presses, more controlled substances, and mailing supplies. In all law enforcement seized more than two kilos of fentanyl-laced pills, nearly a kilo of fentanyl powder, and more than three kilos of methamphetamine. Computer and bank records reveal that Wilson distributed controlled substances via his dark web identity more than 2,000 times and he took in more than $287,000 in crypto currency.
Bennett pleaded guilty in October 2024.
In asking for a seven-year prison sentence prosecutors highlighted how Bennett and Wilson’s conduct put others in the community at risk. “The manner in which Bennett and her co-defendant possessed the controlled substances placed others in danger. For the controlled substances Bennett and her co-defendant possessed in their residence, they placed park goers at risk. For the controlled substances she and her co-defendant possessed in the storage unit, they exposed other storage unit customers and facility workers at risk. And these risks are not speculative because when investigators served a search warrant on one of the storage units, they found substances strewn about to such a degree that professional remediation experts needed to be obtained to make the facility safe for occupancy again.”
“For the second time in a matter of days, the great work of the King County Sheriff’s Office is quite evident,” said King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall. “Because of the keen observation and perseverance of our patrol deputies, and the steadfastness determination of our Gun Violence Reduction Unit, another criminal contributing to the fentanyl crisis is off the street and unable to put any more members of the community in harm’s way.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with assistance from the Washington State Patrol.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Casey Conzatti and Brian Wynne.
Second Defendant Admits to Role in Bank Fraud Conspiracy Targeting Banks in Ten StatesRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A second individual has admitted to a federal judge that he participated in a conspiracy to defraud banks in Rhode Island and at least nine other states of more than $140,000, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Jaymark Larios, 23, of Bronx, NY, pleaded guilty today to a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to information presented to the court, Larios and other members of the conspiracy recruited and organized individuals and obtained their photographs and personal identifying information (PII). The information was used by conspirators to create fraudulent IDs that contained their own photographs and the PII of some of the recruits.
As part of the scheme, Larios and others obtained the PII of at least 28 victim individuals, including their names, dates of birth, addresses, Social Security numbers, and bank account information. They also obtained information of at least 20 business entities, including business names and banking information. The information collected was used to create fraudulent IDs and checks. Members of the conspiracy then traveled with their recruits to banks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, and elsewhere to cash fraudulent checks created by members of the conspiracy.
Through the scheme, conspirators attempted to defraud banks of a total of approximately $143,000, successfully defrauding twenty-two banks of a total of approximately $93,200.
On February 27, 2025, Paul Keenan, 54, of Bronx, NY, admitted to his role in the conspiracy, pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27, 2025.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christine Lowell.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the East Providence Police Department, with the assistance of the Portsmouth Police Department.
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Rhode Island Businesswoman Sentenced for Failing to Pay over Employee Payroll Taxes to the IRSRead the Press Release
PROVIDENCE – A Rhode Island businesswoman who collected but failed to pay over to the government eight years’ worth of employee federal withholding taxes and properly report her own personal income to the IRS has been sentenced to two years of probation, the first three months to be served in home detention, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Gail M. Hynson, 59, president of Hynson Electrical Services, Inc., pleaded guilty in October 2024 to ten counts of failure to account for and pay over payroll taxes and three counts of filing a false tax return. In addition to a term of probation and home detention, U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., ordered Hynson to perform 100 hours of community service.
Court documents detail that from 2016 through 2024, Hynson, who also acted as the company bookkeeper, withheld employment taxes from its employees’ paychecks, to include federal income taxes, Medicare, and Social Security taxes, but failed to provide the funds to the IRS.
Much of the money deducted from her employees’ paychecks was transferred to her own personal bank accounts and used to pay for personal expenses, including her mortgage, car payments, and her daughter’s student loans.
In addition, court records provide that Gail Hynson and her husband submitted false personal tax returns to the IRS, failing to reflect their actual income, which income included company tax withholdings earmarked for the IRS. Although those funds should have been paid to the IRS, Hynson transferred them to her personal bank account and used them for personal expenses.
Between 2016 and 2024, Hyson failed to remit a total of approximately $1.22 million dollars to the IRS.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ly T. Chin and Milind M. Shah.
The matter was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
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Registered sex offender who was deported from United States arrested in Snohomish County for receiving images of child sexual abuseRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 42-year-old Mexican citizen was indicted this week for receiving images of child sexual abuse, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Jaime Neri-Soto was arrested by Bothell Police detectives following an investigation prompted by reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Using those cyber tips investigators were able to identify Neri-Soto as the owner of electronic devices allegedly containing images of child sexual abuse.
According to records filed in the case, in October 2024, WhatsApp alerted NCMEC that a user of its platform had uploaded images of child sexual abuse. In January 2025, the CyberTip was referred to the Bothell Police Department who immediately began work to connect the phone number and IP address to a particular individual. Working with information on the device and internet service providers, law enforcement was able to determine the location of the phone at various times and ultimately identified Neri-Soto.
Following some surveillance, Neri-Soto was arrested and taken to Bothell Police. When he was fingerprinted law enforcement learned he was a previously registered sex offender whose registration was terminated in 2017, when he was turned over to federal authorities for deportation.
Federal authorities were involved in the forensic analysis of the electronic devices Neri-Soto possessed. The cyber review allegedly found numerous images of child sexual abuse on one of the devices. Neri-Soto was charged federally by criminal complaint with receipt of images of child sexual abuse.
The grand jury returned an indictment for receipt of child pornography late yesterday.
The charges are punishable by up to twenty in prison.
Neri-Soto is scheduled for arraignment on March 13, 2025.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the Bothell Police Department and the FBI.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.
This case was also brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
Recidivist Sex Offender Is Sentenced to 10 Years for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse MaterialRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A registered sex offender was sentenced to 120 months in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) yesterday, announced Lawrence J. Cameron, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Thomas Robert Boehm III, 36, of Charlotte, was also ordered to register, again, as a sex offender after his release from prison and to pay restitution to his victims.
Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron in making this announcement.
According to court documents and court proceedings, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) referred a tip to law enforcement that a Dropbox account user had uploaded and maintained several video files containing CSAM. Law enforcement determined that the Dropbox user was Boehm. Law enforcement executed a search warrant for Boehm’s Dropbox account, and a forensic analysis of Boehm’s files revealed that Boehm possessed the equivalent of over 6,000 images depicting the sexual abuse of children, including children under the age of 12. Some of the materials maintained by Boehm portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence. Court documents show that Boehm was a registered sex offender for state convictions related to taking indecent liberties with a child.
On February 22, 2024, Boehm pleaded guilty to possession and access with intent to view child pornography involving prepubescent minors. Boehm remains in federal custody. He will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The FBI and CMPD investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Armstrong with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Recidivist Possessor of Child Sexual Abuse Material Sentenced to PrisonRead the Press Release
MACON, Ga. – A Bryon, Georgia, resident who was serving federal supervised release for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) when GBI agents caught him online downloading sexually explicit images of children less than a year after he was released from prison was sentenced for his crime and violating his federal supervision.
Clarence L. Brown, II, 46, of Byron, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Marc T. Treadwell on March 5, after he previously pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on Dec. 19, 2024. In addition, Brown’s supervised release was revoked in Case No. 5:22-CR-27-001 in which Brown pleaded guilty and was sentenced for one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography in the Middle District of Florida. As a result, Brown was sentenced to serve ten months in prison consecutively to the above sentence to be followed by ten years of supervised release concurrently to the above sentence. Brown will have to register as a sex offender upon release from prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Viewing and sharing explicit images of children being sexually abused is a federal crime that our office will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “Holding online child predators accountable for their crimes—and in this case, their repeated crimes against children—is a high priority for our federal prosecutors and the local, state and federal law enforcement partners dedicated to protecting children.”
"Clarence L. Brown's actions are a tragic reminder of the persistence of individuals who prey on children, despite previous consequences,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “The GBI remains committed to investigating and bringing to justice those who possess and distribute child sexual abuse material. We will continue to work alongside our state, federal and local law enforcement partners to protect children from these heinous crimes and hold offenders accountable.”
According to court documents and statements referenced in court, on June 8, 2021, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CECCU) agent conducted an undercover online investigation to identify individuals downloading child sexual abuse material (CSAM, also called child pornography). That same day, task force agents identified two video files downloaded by Brown depicting CSAM involving prepubescent girls and adult males. Search warrants were executed at Brown’s residences in Byron, Georgia, on Nov. 4, 2021. Several devices were seized at the residence and underwent forensic examination. In total, agents found at least nine video files depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, many of whom were younger than 12 years old. Of note, one CSAM video file had a total run time of ten minutes, and the other CSAM video file was almost 24 minutes long.
Brown was convicted for receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography in the Middle District of Florida on July 24, 2017 (listed as Case No. 5:22-CR-27-001 in the Middle District of Georgia). Brown began his term of supervised release in that case on Nov. 25, 2020. Less than one year later, Brown was found to be in possession of child pornography in the Middle District of Georgia.
These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (GBI CEACCU) with assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Daniels is prosecuting the case for the Government.
Puerto Rico Man Pleads Guilty for His Role in a Conspiracy to Traffic Cocaine to New Hampshire through the United States Postal ServiceRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A man living in Puerto Rico pleaded guilty today in federal court in Concord for his role in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine to New Hampshire through the United States Postal Service (USPS), Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Joshua Baez Core, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, namely, cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante scheduled sentencing for June 9, 2025. The defendant was indicted on December 20, 2023, along with five other defendants. To date, two co-conspirators have been convicted.
According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, the defendant was involved in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that shipped cocaine from Puerto Rico to Manchester, New Hampshire. The defendant, based in Puerto Rico, would use fictitious sender information to send packages of cocaine through the mail to Manchester at the direction of his father, the leader of the DTO. The cocaine was often packaged in 500-gram or 1,000-gram bundles and hidden inside children’s games. After the defendant shipped each package, he would relay tracking information to his father, who would employ co-conspirators to track and retrieve the packages of cocaine for him at various addresses in Manchester. His father also sent the defendant suspected drug proceeds, in one instance sending him a parcel containing $11,000. Between September 2020 and December 2021, the DTO shipped over 5.6 kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Manchester for redistribution.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three (3) years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The United States Postal Inspection Service led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande is prosecuting the case.
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Public Servants Plead Guilty to Covid-19 Relief FraudRead the Press Release
MIAMI – Angelo Stephen, a Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Correctional Officer, and George Arestuche, a Miami-Dade County Aviation Department employee, have pled guilty to federal charges in separate federal cases for defrauding Covid-19 pandemic relief programs.
Stephen pled guilty this week before Chief U.S. District Judge Cecila M. Altonaga to wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent applications for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and one Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). He also admitted to wire fraud for his participation in two bank account takeover schemes.
Arestuche pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with his receipt of one EIDL and one EIDL advance. Senior U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck accepted Arestuche’s guilty plea this week.
Angelo Stephen
During his change of plea hearing, Stephen admitted that in an EIDL application he submitted to the Small Business Association (SBA), he falsely claimed to be an independent contractor and sole owner of a 10-employee business that did event planning and entertainment services. He also admitted that in this EIDL application, he falsely certified that for the applicable 12-month period, his business had gross revenues of approximately $62,018 and a cost of goods sold of $0. Stephen obtained from the SBA $20,000 in EIDL funds, to which he was not entitled.
Stephen also admitted at the change of plea hearing that he submitted false information in two PPP loan applications. In both applications (one submitted in April 2021, the second a month later), Stephen falsely claimed that he owned a business that grossed $106,554 in income in 2020, submitting a fake IRS Form 1040 Schedule C to support his fraudulent requests. Stephen received separate $20,833 PPP loans from two different SBA-approved lenders for the non-existent business.
Finally, at the change of plea, Stephen also admitted his role in two bank account takeover schemes. On March 30, 2023, after his first scheme, Stephen received a $20,000 wire transfer from the account of an unsuspecting victim in Virginia, and thereafter quickly withdrew all illegally obtained money through a series of cash withdrawals and through Zelle transfers to others. In the second takeover scheme, Stephen and his accomplices obtained new checks from the credit union account of a different unsuspecting victim. Stephen then used one of those checks to obtain $8,500 in cash that he was not entitled to.
Stephen is scheduled for sentencing on May 22, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. before Chief U.S. District Judge Altonaga in Miami, Florida, where he faces a possible maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
George Arestuche
According to the facts admitted at his change of plea, George Arestuche and a co-conspirator devised a scheme to defraud the SBA by submitting a false and fraudulent application to allow Arestuche to fraudulently obtain an EIDL loan in exchange for Arestuche paying the co-conspirator a large fee.
To carry out this conspiracy, on July 9, 2020, Arestuche’s submitted to the SBA a false and fraudulent EIDL application on Arestuche’s behalf claiming that Arestuche was an independent contractor and the 100% owner of an “Automotive Repair” business operating under the legal and DBA name “george.” That EIDL application falsely certified that for the 12-month period prior to January 31, 2020, “george” had gross revenues of $600,000, a cost of goods sold of $184,000, and 10 employees. In reality, Arestuche was not an independent contractor and did not own any type of business. This EIDL application was supported by a fraudulent 2019 IRS Form 1040 and Schedule C in Arestuche’s name that falsely claimed that he had a “mechanic” business that had gross receipts of $725,000 and earned a net profit of $706,151. As a result of this false and fraudulent EIDL application, Arestuche obtained from the SBA $149,900 in EIDL proceeds and a $10,000 EIDL advance, and he subsequently paid his co-conspirator $17,275 for helping him fraudulently obtain this money from the SBA.
Arestuche is scheduled for sentencing on May 12, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. before Senior U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck in Miami, where he faces a possible maximum sentence of up to 5 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Andrew Hartwell of the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General’s Fraud Detection Office (DOJ-OIG), Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Eastern Region, Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, and Inspector General Felix Jimenez of the Miami-Dade County Office of Inspector General (MDC-OIG) announced the guilty pleas.
DOJ-OIG and SBA-OIG investigated the Stephen case. SBA-OIG and the FBI’s Miami Area Corruption Task Force, which includes task force officers from the MDC-OIG, investigated the Arestuche case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting both cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda is handling forfeiture matters on the Stephen case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Raemy Charest-Turken is handling forfeiture matters on the Arestuche case.
In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”) to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred. EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 25-cr-20014 and 25-cr-20001.
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Portland Couple Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing $34 Million from Former ClientRead the Press Release
A husband and wife from Portland, who together owned and operated a local chauffeur and limousine business, were sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for stealing $34 million dollars from two former clients.
Sergey Lebedenko, 54, and Galina Lebedenko, 49, were both sentenced to 57 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release. The sum of restitution they must pay to the victim will be determined at a later date.
According to court documents, the Lebedenkos owned and operated a Portland area chauffeur and limousine businesses that eventually became Astra Car Service, LLC. Sergey did the driving, and Galina handled the company’s books and finances.
The Lebedenkos met their victim in 2007 when Sergey was hired to drive the individual to the airport. The individual soon became a regular customer of the Lebedenkos. By 2018, Sergey was driving the individual almost daily in and around Portland, and Galina was performing other personal tasks for the victim and the victim’s partner including paying their bills, sorting their mail, and providing pet care. This expansive personal services arrangement between the Lebedenkos and their victim continued from approximately 2018 until 2023.
Despite the volume and frequency of paid services the Lebedenkos provided, they never had a written business agreement or contract. In 2013, Galina produced an invoice showing hourly rates of $90 for driving and $60 for other services. In about 2016, after nearly a decade of working together, the victim gave the Lebedenkos his American Express credit card information so they could directly charge the card for their services.
Other than the single invoice issued in 2013, the Lebedenkos never provided their victim with logs of their hours or information about how much they were charging for their services. For much of their work, only the Lebedenkos knew the amount of time they spent providing services. On rare occasions, Sergey was questioned by the victim about certain minimal charges and Sergey would repeatedly play up their longstanding, trusting relationship.
The Lebedenkos stole approximately $34 million over seven years. On a single day in 2023, the Lebedenkos charged their victim’s credit card 17 times for a total of $17,900 for picking up and delivering a prescription and meals.
The Lebedenkos used their ill-gotten gains to fund an extraordinarily extravagant lifestyle for themselves and others, purchasing 14 homes and properties, 7 vehicles, an ownership interest in a private jet, and countless luxury items including shoes, watches, wallets, jewelry, and gold bars. As part of their sentences, the court entered a Final Order of Forfeiture against assets the Lebedenkos purchased with proceeds of their fraud, including 14 real properties and 19 financial accounts, which are pending forfeiture and sale. The government intends to seek remission of forfeited assets to the victim.
On January 22, 2024, the Lebedenkos were together charged by federal criminal complaint with committing wire fraud and money laundering. Later, on February 21, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging the couple with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, and 34 individual counts of wire fraud.
On October 25, 2024, the Lebedenkos both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and wire fraud.
This case was investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by Meredith D.M. Bateman and Andrew T. Ho, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon. Forfeiture proceedings are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katie C. de Villiers, also of the District of Oregon.
Plantersville Man Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison for Drug TraffickingRead the Press Release
Greenville, MS – A Plantersville man was sentenced yesterday to over 10 years in prison for distribution of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Alonzo Gilleyen, 48, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi to distribution of methamphetamine. Gilleyen was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Debra Brown on Wednesday to 151 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for drug trafficking. Gilleyen was sentenced as a career offender because of his two prior felony convictions for drug trafficking.
“The citizens of this district have every right to expect that repeat offenders, particularly those trafficking in dangerous narcotics, will be held to account for their conduct as was the case for this defendant,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “I am extremely proud of the efforts of AUSAs Chad Doleac and Kim Hampton alongside our partners at DEA, MBN, and the North Mississippi Narcotics Unit to remove this drug dealer from our community.”
“As a career offender, this individual has shown a pattern of behavior that threatens the safety and well-being of our community,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw. “We will continue to pursue justice against those who perpetuate the cycle of drug abuse and crime, ensuring tour neighborhoods remain safe for all. Our efforts will not waver as we work to dismantle the networks that contribute to this ongoing issue.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the North Mississippi Narcotics Unit investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chad M. Doleac and Kimberly Hampton prosecuted the case.
Pittsburgh Felon Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Large-Scale Drug Trafficking and Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 20 years of imprisonment, to be followed by five years of federal supervised release, on his drug trafficking and firearms convictions, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the sentence on Dante Webb, 43.
“The seizure of more than 26,000 doses of illegal narcotics, eight firearms—including two ghost guns and several with extended magazines, and thousands of dollars in drug profits during the 2022 search of Dante Webb’s residence speaks to how dangerous a criminal Webb has been, through both his large-scale dealing and through his use of weapons in carrying out his crimes,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Rivetti. “This sentence reflects the danger and serious nature of his conduct. Our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners at all levels to identify and prosecute armed drug traffickers such as Webb in order to protect our communities.”
“Dante Webb is a dangerous man, peddling deadly drugs while heavily armed, including with a fully automatic firearm,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF's Philadelphia Field Division. “This case is another example of how our strong partnership with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and United States Attorney’s Office is getting violent criminals off the streets and making our communities that much safer.”
According to information presented to the Court, on June 3, 2022, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police responded to a Pittsburgh residence, from which, upon law enforcement’s arrival, Webb ran. Law enforcement learned that Webb stored both controlled substances and firearms there and obtained a search warrant for his residence. The subsequent search resulted in the seizure of digital scales, cellular phones, firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a safe, which contained a garbage bag of over 26,000 doses of packaged controlled substances, including mixtures of fluorofentanyl, heroin, and fentanyl. Officers also seized packaged cocaine and crack.
Law enforcement seized eight firearms from Webb’s residence, some of which were loaded with attached extended magazines. Two of the firearms were Polymer 80 pistols, or ghost guns, which are untraceable due to the lack of a serial number; one of these pistols was later determined by a forensic scientist to operate only as a fully automatic firearm. Many of the firearms were easily accessible from a duffel bag located under a bed and were recovered in close proximity to the safe containing the packaged controlled substances. Prior to the seizure, Webb was twice convicted of aggravated assault related to shootings in Allegheny County. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
On June 7, 2022, law enforcement located Webb in the Bloomfield area of Pittsburgh. When a detective attempted to arrest Webb, the defendant fled by running in and out of traffic. After falling while jumping a low wall, Webb was arrested. A search incident to arrest resulted in the seizure from Webb of approximately $6,000, a digital scale, an owe sheet, a flip phone, and packaged controlled substances. The glassine bags seized from Webb bore similar markings to the bags recovered from Webb’s safe on June 3, 2022. A search of one of Webb’s phones revealed numerous photographs of Webb posing with large amounts of cash and multiple firearms inside his residence.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Ranjan emphasized that fentanyl is a plague on the community and that drug dealers like Webb pose the greatest risk of harm because they use firearms. Judge Ranjan also stated that he did not sense that Webb had any genuine remorse for his crimes.
Assistant United States Attorneys Brendan J. McKenna and Justin E. Lewis prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Webb.
Philadelphia Resident Who Led Large-Scale Drug Trafficking Organization Pleads Guilty to Narcotics ChargesRead the Press Release
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal narcotics laws, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Mikal Davis, 47, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan to Counts One, Three, and Four of the Superseding Indictment.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from in and around April 2019 to July 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Davis conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of a mixture of heroin, five kilograms or more of a mixture of cocaine, 400 grams or more of a mixture of fentanyl, 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, 500 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine, and 28 grams or more of crack. Davis, who led the drug trafficking organization’s activity in Philadelphia and Johnstown, was one of the targets of a federal wiretap and was intercepted obtaining quantities of the drugs that he distributed to others. Accompanied by distributors below him, Davis frequently traveled between Philadelphia and Johnstown with drug shipments which were then stored and processed at “stash houses” throughout the Western District of Pennsylvania for distribution. During a meeting with a drug source in California for a resupply, Davis arranged for the drug parcels to be mailed to Johnstown for distribution. In the Philadelphia area, Davis met with drug sources and purchased over 2,000 grams of heroin and fentanyl and over 5,000 grams of cocaine from a source in New Jersey.
Judge Horan scheduled sentencing for June 26, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Davis. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, Cambria County Sheriff’s Office, Cambria Township Police Department, Indiana Borough Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Upper Yoder Township Police Department, Richland Police Department, Ferndale Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies.
This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Peoria Man Sentenced to 135 Months in Prison for Attempted Enticement of a MinorRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois, man, Joshua Michael Williams, 43, was sentenced on March 5, 2025, to 135 months’ imprisonment for attempted enticement of a minor, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender.
At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, the court was informed that in January and February 2024, Williams engaged in online chats with an individual he believed to be the stepfather of an 11-year-old female who was willing to let his stepdaughter be used for sex acts. Williams expressed an interest in meeting with the purported minor for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts and said that he had wanted to engage in sexual acts with another minor female in the past. Williams arranged to meet the daughter, and, when he arrived at the pre-arranged meeting place, he was arrested.
Williams pleaded guilty in October 2024 and has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest.
In sentencing Williams, Judge Hawley noted that the only good thing about what happened was that there was no minor, stating that there easily could have been an 11-year-old whose life would be altered by such conduct.
The statutory penalties for attempted enticement of a minor are ten years up to life imprisonment, followed by a term of supervised release ranging from five years to life.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, investigated the case.
The case against Williams was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Palmetto Man Arrested and Charged with Evading Tax Payments and Filing False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
Tampa, FL - Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Terry Brunning was arrested and charged with evasion of the payment of taxes and four counts of filing false income tax returns. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the evasion count, and up to three years’ imprisonment for each count of filing of a false tax return.
According to the indictment, between 2005 and December 2019, Brunning evaded the payment of taxes due and owed by him for income he earned and failed to report and pay taxes on between 1998 and 2001. During the period between 2005 and 2018, aware of the tax assessment by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against him for more than $2 million in taxes, penalties, and interest, Brunning continued to earn income from a new business. He used that income to pay for personal expenses and personal assets which he tried to conceal from the IRS. He also failed to make any substantial payment to the IRS for his earlier tax debt and failed to file income tax returns between 2007 and 2018.
After IRS-CI agents sought to interview Brunning in October 2018 in connection with their investigation, Brunning resumed the filing of income tax returns for a number of years, including tax years 2015 through 2018. The income tax returns which he filed for those years contained false reports related to the amounts of income that he had earned in each of those years, resulting in the underreporting of more than $490,000 in income for those four years.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Tampa Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer.
Owner of Marketing Companies and DME Company Convicted for Role in $100 Million Scheme to Defraud Medicare and Other Insurers and to Violate the Anti-Kickback StatuteRead the Press Release
NEWARK, N.J. A Florida man was convicted by a federal jury for his role in a durable medical equipment (DME) kickback scheme that caused millions of dollars in losses to Medicare and other insurance providers, United States Attorney John Giordano announced.
Following a month-long jury trial before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz, Raheel Naviwala, 36, of Coral Springs, Florida, was convicted on Feb. 28, 2025, of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, one count of health care fraud, conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, and three counts of violating the Anti-Kickback Statute. He was also acquitted of two counts of health care fraud.
“This Office is committed to prosecuting those like the defendant who seek to profit by defrauding and corrupting our nation’s medical systems,” United States Attorney John Giordano said. “When people siphon millions from Medicare to line their own pockets, regular citizens pay the price. This case demonstrates that serious consequences will follow for such conduct.”
“The scheme Naviwala and his co-conspirators created to steal money from the government was complex and expansive,” FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly said. “However, FBI Newark and our law enforcement partners have the expertise and grit to dig through mountains of data and find the fraudsters. We want this case to serve as a warning to anyone hoping to capitalize on hiding under the red tape - we are still here, and you will eventually get caught.”
“The defendant convicted in this case prioritized greed over the provision of appropriate health care services to patients, bilking the federal government for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment,” stated Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure the integrity of the federal health care system and hold accountable owners and providers engaging in fraud that targets its programs.”
“Investigating corrupt schemes that undermine the integrity of TRICARE, the healthcare system for military members and their families, is a top priority for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS),” stated Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty, DCIS Northeast Field Office. “Mr. Naviwala’s illegal schemes put the TRICARE program and its beneficiaries at risk. We are committed to working with our partner agencies and the Department of Justice to pursue those individuals who selfishly place personal gain over the safety and care of TRICARE beneficiaries.”
“Schemes such as these compromise the integrity of VA’s programs and services and divert funds from our nation’s deserving veterans,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office. “The VA OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to root out fraudsters and hold them accountable.”
According to the evidence at trial:
Naviwala and his coconspirators purchased lists of Medicare patients’ names, addresses, and phone numbers, and hired telemarketers to convince the patients to get DME (orthotic braces). These telemarketers pre-filled prescriptions and picked the highest-paying braces to bill to insurers. Naviwala then paid telemedicine doctors to sign the pre-filled prescriptions for braces, regardless of whether the patients needed or wanted braces. Generally, the telemedicine doctor did not even speak to the patients before signing the pre-filled prescriptions.
Naviwala then sold the signed prescriptions to DME supply companies that could bill Medicare, TRICARE, and other insurers for the braces. To conceal the fraud, Naviwala and his coconspirators signed sham contracts and used sham invoices that falsely represented that Naviwala was billing DME supply companies for marketing or consulting.
Naviwala also owned and operated a DME supply company that was used to bill Medicare, and which submitted claims to Medicare for up to nine braces for a single patient.
To further conceal his illegal conduct, Naviwala put multiple of his businesses in the names of nominee owners. The nominee owners generally performed no legitimate work for any company and were paid to hide Naviwala’s involvement.
Medicare and other insurers paid hundreds of millions of dollars to members of the conspiracy and paid at least approximately $100 million for DME associated with Naviwala’s companies. Naviwala personally pocketed more than $10 million in fraud proceeds.
Conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison. Health care fraud is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison. Conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison. Each count of illegal kickbacks is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison. Each count is also punishable by a fine. Sentencing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 29, 2025, before Judge Farbiarz in Newark.
United States Attorney John Giordano credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark; HHS-OIG, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz; DCIS, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty; and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher F. Algieri with the investigation leading to the conviction.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elaine K. Lou, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, Matthew Specht of the Special Prosecutions Division, and Aaron L. Webman of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
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Defense counsel:
Jamie Hoxie Solano, Esq. New York, New York
Amy C. Brown, Esq. New York, New York
Bryan W. McCracken, Esq. New York, New York
Ifedapo Benjamin, Esq. New York, New York
North Country Woman Pleads Guilty to Role in Deadly Alien Smuggling ConspiracyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Hogansburg, New York, woman pled guilty today for her role in a deadly smuggling conspiracy that left a family of four, including two children under the age of three, dead in the St. Lawrence River.
According to court documents, Janet Terrance, age 45, conspired with five others to bring Indian and Romanian nationals into the United States for the purpose of private financial gain. Co-conspirators Dakota Montour, age 31, and Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, age 43, both of whom reside on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation in New York, entered guilty pleas on January 23, 2025, and October 8, 2024, respectively
Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon, of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, stated: “The defendant and her coconspirators — fueled by greed, indifference, and recklessness — smuggled aliens via vehicle and boat across the U.S.-Canada border in dangerous weather conditions. They endangered the lives of two small children and their parents for profit, resulting in the family’s tragic deaths. Dismantling transnational criminal organizations that smuggle people into and throughout the United States is a top priority for the Department of Justice.”
Acting United States Attorney Daniel Hanlon said: “A family of four died because a smuggling organization put them in harm’s way for profit. Our top priority is the prosecution and dismantling of smuggling organizations. By securing our northern border, we aim to avoid more tragedies like this one.”
According to court documents, Terrance, Montour, and Sharrow admitted to working with a human smuggling organization (HSO) on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation (“the AMIR”) and in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, that smuggled aliens from mainland Cornwall, Ontario, to Cornwall Island, Ontario, and then into the Northern District of New York. According to court documents, the HSO routinely smuggled aliens from various countries into the United States. The HSO arranged for aliens to stay in local motels in Cornwall, Canada, before transporting the aliens to the AMIR to stage the aliens on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Members of the HSO would then transport the aliens by boat across the St. Lawrence River to later be driven into the Northern District of New York.
In late March 2023, the co-conspirators were employed to illegally transport a Romanian family of four from Cornwall, Canada, into the Northern District of New York for private financial gain. The Romanian family consisted of a mother, father, a one-year-old boy, and a two-year-old girl. Both Montour and Terrance admitted that they were hired to transport the Romanian family to the AMIR from mainland Cornwall, Canada.
Montour admitted that he was aware of the dangerous weather conditions on March 29, 2023 — high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility — yet the family of four was loaded into a small boat by another co-conspirator to cross the St. Lawrence River. The boat capsized, and the family died as a result.
HSI Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan stated: “The tragic deaths of two innocent, unknowing toddlers and their parents underscores the devastating impacts of alien smuggling. Janet Terrance and her co-conspirators moved forward with this smuggling attempt despite the dangerous conditions and sheer illegality of the act, placing these victims in the situation that ultimately killed them. HSI Massena is committed to enforcing U.S. laws at our border to protect the safety and the security of our communities.”
Acting AMPS Chief Ranatiiostha Swamp stated: “The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service is dedicated to keeping our community safe. By working closely with Homeland Security on this investigation, we are enhancing efforts to combat human smuggling and cross-border illegal activity, ensuring the safety and security of our territory.”
Montour pled guilty to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, alien smuggling for financial gain, and alien smuggling resulting in death. Montour faces the maximum term of life in prison.
Sharrow and Terrance each pled guilty to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling. Additionally, Sharrow and Terrance each pled guilty to alien smuggling for financial gain. Each of those counts carries a mandatory minimum term of 5 years in prison and a maximum term of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the defendants’ sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt and Trial Attorney Jenna E. Reed of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case.
HSI Massena engaged in an extensive years-long investigation of the case, with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., CBP’s National Targeting Center, New York State Police, Canada Border Services Agency, AMPS, St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department, Ontario Provincial Police, Surete Du Quebec, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Cornwall Police Service. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant support with foreign legal assistance requests.
The investigation is being conducted under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence and prosecutorial resources. ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.
New York Woman Pleads Guilty for Role in Deadly Alien Smuggling Conspiracy on the Northern BorderRead the Press Release
A New York woman pleaded guilty today for her role in a deadly human smuggling conspiracy that left a family of four, including two children under the age of three, dead in the St. Lawrence River.
According to court documents, Janet Terrance, 45, of Hogansburg, conspired with five others to bring Indian and Romanian nationals into the United States for private financial gain. Co-conspirators Dakota Montour, 31, and Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, both of Akwesasne-Mohawk, New York, entered guilty pleas on Jan. 23, 2025, and Oct. 8, 2024, respectively.
“The defendant and her coconspirators — fueled by greed, indifference, and recklessness — smuggled aliens via vehicle and boat across the U.S.-Canada border in dangerous weather conditions,” said Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “They endangered the lives of two small children and their parents for profit, resulting in the family’s tragic deaths. Dismantling transnational criminal organizations that smuggle people into and throughout the United States is a top priority for the Department of Justice.”
“A family of four died because a smuggling organization put them in harm’s way for profit,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Hanlon for the Northern District of New York. “Our top priority is the prosecution and dismantling of smuggling organizations. By securing our northern border, we aim to avoid more tragedies like this one.”
According to court documents, Terrance, Montour, and Sharrow worked with a human smuggling organization (HSO) on the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation (AMIR) and in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, that smuggled aliens from mainland Cornwall to Cornwall Island, and then into northern New York. The HSO routinely smuggled aliens from various countries into the United States. The HSO arranged for aliens to stay in local motels in Cornwall before transporting the aliens to the AMIR to stage the aliens on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Members of the HSO would then transport the aliens by boat across the St. Lawrence River to later be driven into New York.
Terrance, Montour, and Sharrow admitted in their plea agreements that in late March 2023, the co-conspirators were employed to illegally transport a Romanian family of four — mother, father, one-year-old boy, and two-year-old girl — from Cornwall into New York. The children were Canadian citizens. Both Montour and Terrance admitted that they were hired to transport the Romanian family to the AMIR from mainland Cornwall.
Montour admitted that he was aware of the dangerous weather conditions on March 29, 2023 — high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility — yet the family of four was loaded into a small boat by another co-conspirator to cross the St. Lawrence River. The boat capsized, and the family died as a result.
“The tragic deaths of two innocent, unknowing toddlers and their parents underscores the devastating impacts of alien smuggling,” said Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Buffalo. “Janet Terrance and her co-conspirators moved forward with this smuggling attempt despite the dangerous conditions and sheer illegality of the act, placing these victims in the situation that ultimately killed them. ICE HSI Massena is committed to enforcing U.S. laws at our border to protect the safety and the security of our communities.”
“The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service is dedicated to keeping our community safe,” said Acting AMPS Chief Ranatiiostha Swamp. “By working closely with Homeland Security on this investigation, we are enhancing efforts to combat human smuggling and cross-border illegal activity, ensuring the safety and security of our territory.”
Montour pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain, and three counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. Montour faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the conspiracy and alien smuggling for financial gain counts and a mandatory penalty of life in prison on the alien smuggling resulting in death counts.
Sharrow and Terrance pleaded guilty to two counts and one count of conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, respectively, and each to four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain. They each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the conspiracy counts and two of the alien smuggling for financial gain counts and a mandatory minimum of five years and maximum penalty of 15 years in prison on two of the alien smuggling for financial gain counts.
A federal district court judge will determine the defendants’ sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
HSI Massena engaged in an extensive years-long investigation of the case, with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., CBP’s National Targeting Center, New York State Police, Canada Border Services Agency, AMPS, St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department, Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Cornwall Police Service. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant support with foreign legal assistance requests.
Trial Attorney Jenna E. Reed of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt for the Northern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
The investigation is being conducted under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence and prosecutorial resources. ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.
New Hampshire Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Sell Stolen Government PropertyRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Maine: A New Hampshire man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for conspiring to transport stolen property in interstate commerce and conspiring to sell stolen government property.
U.S. District Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Christopher Hagan, 33, to 12 months plus one day in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was also fined $10,000, ordered to forfeit $150,000, and will be required to refile his tax returns for five years. Hagan pleaded guilty on May 13, 2024.
According to court records, between October 2017 and September 2021, Hagan obtained stolen government items which he resold on online forums. One of Hagan’s coconspirators, Jonathan Chaisson, 34, of New Hampshire was employed by a national defense contractor based in New Hampshire and received used and/or broken Advance Target Pointer Illuminator Aiming Laser (ATPIAL) devices designated for military and law enforcement use. Chaisson stole or converted new and used parts and components to repair the ATPIALs and provided Hagan with the repaired devices to sell.
Hagan also conspired with Wade Walker, 45, and Michael Humphrey, 46, both of Texas, to steal and sell military equipment from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), an agency of the United States Department of Defense. Both Walker and Humphrey were employed by the DLA Red River Army Depot facility in Texarkana, Texas. On multiple dates in 2019 and in 2020, Humphrey transferred stolen government property to Walker for resale, and Walker provided the stolen property to Hagan for further resale. Through the investigation, agents determined that Hagan had at least one customer in China.
On July 24, 2023, Chaisson pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport stolen property in interstate commerce and was sentenced to probation for two years. On October 31, 2023, Humphrey pleaded guilty to conspiring to sell stolen government property and was sentenced to probation for two years. On January 8, 2024, Walker pleaded guilty to conspiring to sell stolen government property and was sentenced to probation for three years.
The United States Department of Commerce – Office of Export Enforcement and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service investigated the case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
“That Mr. Hagan and his conspirators would exploit their connections to the defense industry to put their own financial gain ahead of the nation’s security is unconscionable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office commends the remarkable interagency cooperation that underpinned this complex and important investigation.”
“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), the law enforcement arm of the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General, is fully committed to protecting the integrity of the DoD supply chain,” said Patrick J. Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge of the DCIS Northeast Field Office. “Profiting from the sale of stolen DoD property undermines the mission of the Defense Logistics Agency and negatively impacts our military members. This investigation demonstrates DCIS’ commitment to work with our law enforcement partners and the Department of Justice to hold accountable those who harm the DoD.”
“By stealing sensitive military technology and selling it to China, Christopher Hagan along with those he conspired with, prioritized greed and personal gain over U.S. national security,” said Special Agent in Charge James Guanci, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement, Boston Field Office. “This case serves as a strong reminder that those who betray the trust of the American people will be held accountable.”
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New Bern Man Sentenced to over Five Years for Role in Craven County Drug Trafficking OperationRead the Press Release
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. –A New Bern man was sentenced Tuesday to 64 months in prison for his role in a Craven County drug trafficking organization (DTO). On November 21, 2024, Robert Niquan Bryant, age 26, pled guilty to the following two counts: conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl; and distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine. Bryant is a validated member of the United Blood Nation street gang.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, in December 2023, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), in conjunction with the Craven County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), the New Bern Police Department and other local law enforcement, initiated an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of DTO operating in Craven County. Bryant was identified as an individual who was distributing methamphetamine on behalf of the DTO. Two controlled purchases of methamphetamine were made from Bryant in March and April of 2024. In both instances, Bryant sold more than 100 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant.
This investigation was an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The ATF, the CCSO, and the New Bern Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Webb and Julie Childress prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-cr-00046-BO-BM.
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Naugatuck Man Admits Possessing Child Sex Abuse Material While on State Probation for Prior Child Exploitation OffensesRead the Press Release
Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that TRAVIS TILLEY, 41, of Naugatuck, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2019, Tilley was convicted in state court of risk of injury to a child, which involved sexual intercourse with a person under 13, and possession of child pornography. In August 2022, he was released from state custody and began serving a 15-year term of probation.
On March 9, 2023, state probation officers conducted an unannounced visit to Tilley’s residence and seized his laptop and a flash drive. Analysis of the seized items revealed that Tilley had utilized prohibited software and had accessed sites that provide sexually explicit material; that he was using encrypted email and messenger services; that he had used an operating system that is configured to leave no digital footprint; and that he was a member of internet chat rooms that focused on child pornography and AI-generated child pornography. The analysis also revealed two videos depicting the sexual exploitation of prepubescent children, approximately 60 images of AI-generated child pornography, and sexually explicit chat room messages sent by the laptop user.
Judge Dooley scheduled sentencing for June 6, at which time Tilley faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years. The penalties in this matter are enhanced because of Tilley’s prior state convictions.
Tilley has been detained since his state arrest on March 28, 2023.
This investigation has been conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the Connecticut Court Support Services Division – Adult Probation Services and the Westport Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel E. Cummings with the assistance of the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Waterbury.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.
Muskogee Resident Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian CountryRead the Press Release
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jonathan Gage Wiedel, age 19, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 540 months in prison each for 12 counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country. The terms are set to be served concurrently, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office.
On September 9, 2024, Wiedel pleaded guilty to twelve counts of a Superseding Indictment. As part of the plea, Wiedel admitted that, beginning in August 2022 and continuing through February 2024, while employed as a teacher’s assistant at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Muskogee, Oklahoma, he sexually abused four children under the age of twelve. The crimes occurred in Muskogee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
“The defendant used his position of trust as a teacher’s assistant to prey on the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater. “Safeguarding children and families in our community is among the FBI’s top priorities, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure predators like Wiedel are brought to justice.”
“Today’s sentence reflects the unwavering commitment of federal prosecutors and local and federal law enforcement to seek justice for victims and hold the defendant accountable for his reprehensible actions,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “This office stands firm in its resolve to continue to protect our children and ensure the safety of our communities.”
The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Wiedel will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Pippin represented the United States.
Multiple Defendants Sentenced in Separate Cases for Federal Firearms ViolationsRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – This week, multiple defendants were sentenced in federal court in separate cases for violating federal firearms laws, announced Lawrence J. Cameron, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Among the firearms recovered were a “ghost gun” fitted with a “Glock switch,” a machinegun, and other illegal firearms linked to several shootings.
“These sentences make one thing clear: if you violate federal gun laws, you will be held accountable. This office and our law enforcement partners are committed to getting illegal guns off the streets and out of the hands of criminals,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron.
The following defendants were sentenced this week:
Omar Shariff Tobias, 46, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 13 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon. Between December 5th and 6th, 2022, Tobias held the victim hostage in the home they shared, took her phone and clothes, and physically assaulted her. When the victim ran out the front door to escape, Tobias shot her twice with a Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver he illegally possessed. After shooting her, Tobias dragged the bleeding victim into the house and refused to call 911 for nearly an hour, until he came up with a story to tell the authorities. Officers responding to the call for service determined that Tobias was not truthful about how the victim sustained injuries. The officers conducted a search of the residence, seizing the .38 revolver used to shoot the victim, two rifles, digital scales, marijuana, and other drug paraphernalia. As a result of the shooting, the victim sustained serious injuries and faces a lengthy recovery.
Marcus Kantrell Jennings, 35, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon. On September 1, 2022, Jennings illegally possessed a firearm he used to shoot at a security officer multiple times, after the defendant was escorted out of a nightclub.
Brandon Castro, 25, of Dallas, N.C., was sentenced 57 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a felon. On August 27, 2022, Castro pointed a firearm with a laser scope at an off-duty Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer who was working at a local business before the defendant fled the scene. Law enforcement located and arrested Castro and recovered the firearm, which was loaded with a high-capacity magazine.
Jeconiah Amarie Davidson, 25, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 52 months in prison and three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. After having been previously convicted of a felony offense for illegally possessing a firearm, on June 24, 2023, Davidson was involved in two separate shootings. In the first incident, Davidson used an illegally possessed firearm to shoot into an occupied Waffle House restaurant following an altercation in the establishment. Hours later, Davidson used the same gun to shoot another person outside of a Popeyes restaurant. The victim in that shooting sustained injuries to his leg. Days later, Davidson was arrested in possession of a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol equipped with an extended magazine. The firearm was forensically examined and connected to the later shooting.
Tiquavion Davonta Ervin, 21, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a machinegun. On July 25, 2023, law enforcement attempted to conduct a traffic stop of Ervin’s vehicle. At first, Ervin appeared to comply but later fled at a high rate of speed. Law enforcement located the vehicle parked in the lot of an apartment complex. During a search of the area near the vehicle officers found a backpack that contained a loaded Polymer 80 handgun (also known as a “ghost gun”), fitted with a machinegun conversion device, or “Glock switch.” During the investigation, law enforcement determined that Ervin was using social media to sell firearms and Glock switches.
Geoffrey Quentin McLean, 34, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by convicted felon. On August 28, 2023, McLean was seen driving a vehicle with a fictitious license plate and in possession of a firearm. Law enforcement saw McLean park the vehicle in a hotel parking lot and observed McLean enter one of the hotel rooms. Subsequently, the officers searched the room and found inside a safe a 9mm firearm and an extended magazine that belonged to McLean.
Ronetae Antonion Degraffenreid, 40, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for dealing in firearms without a license. According to court records, during a 2022 investigation, law enforcement determined that Degraffenreid was a recurring purchaser of firearms that were later recovered in the hands of individuals other than the defendant. Between 2018 and 2022, Degraffenreid purchased over 76 firearms, many of which were later found in the possession of prohibited persons or used to commit other crimes, including drug trafficking and a shooting.
Nehemiah Malik Harris, 27, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by felon. On December 6, 2026, law enforcement stopped Harris’s vehicle for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, the officers found quantities of narcotics inside the vehicle and retrieved a firearm from Harris. The firearm was loaded with a round in the chamber and was later determined to be stolen.
The cases were prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), and in collaboration with federal, state, and local law enforcement, to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. For more information about PSN in the Western District, please visit our website.
The cases were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.
Federal law prohibits individuals from possessing a firearm if they fall into certain restricted categories, including convicted felons, fugitives from justice, illegal aliens, individuals convicted of domestic violence, and unlawful users of controlled substances. Additionally, it is illegal to possess a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime or a violent offense. Federal law also prohibits the straw purchase of a firearm, wherein a person who can lawfully purchase a firearm buys a gun, or attempts to do so, for a prohibited person. Federal law also requires that individuals who are engaged in the business of dealing in firearms be licensed by the ATF. For additional information and resources please visit www.atf.gov.visit www.atf.gov.
Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy in $14.5 Million PPP Loan FraudRead the Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Pa.- A resident of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge of fraud conspiracy, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Marc Andrew Martin, 46, pleaded guilty to one count before United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, between March 2020 and August 2021, Martin and others—including Matthew Parker—conspired to defraud lenders of over $14 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) COVID-19 relief loans. Parker, a licensed CPA from Detroit, Michigan, recruited hundreds of small businesses in Pittsburgh and Detroit and falsified PPP loan applications. The Small Business Administration approved 226 of those applications, resulting in loans totaling approximately $14.5 million to businesses, the largest known PPP fraud in the Western District of Pennsylvania. Martin referred approximately $1,900,000 in fraudulent loan packages to Parker. Parker pleaded guilty to fraud conspiracy in May 2024.
Judge Hardy scheduled sentencing for July 10, 2025. The law provides for a total sentence of up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The United States Postal Inspection Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Martin.
Michigan Businessman Found Guilty of Employment Tax CrimesRead the Press Release
A federal jury convicted a Michigan businessman yesterday for not paying employment taxes and not filing his own individual income tax returns.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Dale Thrush, of Farwell, owned and operated several automotive repair service locations and a gas station. Thrush was responsible for withholding Social Security, Medicare and income taxes from his employees’ wages and paying those funds over to the IRS on behalf of his employees. From October 2014 through December 2016, Thrush withheld those funds from his employees’ wages but did not pay over the full amount of the withheld taxes to the IRS. Instead, Thrush used some of those funds to pay personal expenses, including the remodeling and construction costs for his wife’s business.
In addition, Thrush did not file his own individual income tax returns for 2013 through 2016 despite being legally obligated to do so.
Thrush was convicted of three counts of willful failure to pay payroll taxes and four counts of willful failure to file individual income tax returns. He was acquitted of seven counts of willful failure to pay payroll taxes.
Thrush is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of not paying employment taxes and a maximum penalty of one year in prison for each count of not filing his individual income tax returns. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Mark McDonald and Evan Mulbry of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Mexican National with Vehicular Manslaughter Conviction in Federal Custody for Illegal Re-EntryRead the Press Release
WACO, Texas – A Mexican national was transferred into federal custody in Waco on criminal charges related to his alleged illegal re-entry.
According to court documents, Jaime Aguilar-Guerrero was arrested on March 3 by local law enforcement in Belton for public intoxication. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement determined Aguilar-Guerrero was an illegal alien who had been previously removed from the United States in July 2016. Additionally, on April 11, 1996, Aguilar-Guerrero had been sentenced to seven years confinement for intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle.
Aguilar-Guerrero is charged with one count of illegal re-entry. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
ICE is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Gloff is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Mexican National Pleads Guilty, Faces 10 Years to Life in Federal Prison for Attempting to Smuggle Fentanyl and Cocaine into U.S.Read the Press Release
DEL RIO, Texas – A Mexican national pleaded guilty in a federal court in Del Rio to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents, Federico De Los Rios Rios, of Durango, Mexico, attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico through the Eagle Pass port of entry on Oct. 26, 2024. Accompanied by his wife and child, De Los Rios Rios presented a U.S. Visa to Customs and Border Protection officers and was referred to secondary inspection. A scan of the vehicle revealed anomalies, and a canine inspection resulted in a positive alert.
CBP officers inspected the rear of the vehicle and located a trap door under a seat, which contained multiple bundles wrapped in electrical tape. One set of bundles weighed 2.14 kgs and was consistent with the properties of fentanyl. A second set of bundles weighed a total of 11.16 kgs and was consistent with the properties of cocaine. A Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory test confirmed the substances to be fentanyl and cocaine.
De Los Rios Rios admitted that he had been instructed to drive the vehicle from his home in Durango to Orlando, Florida, had been given $700 up front, and anticipated he would be paid an additional $10,000 once he arrived at the destination.
De Los Rios Rios pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. He faces 10 years to life in prison with a maximum $10 million fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Kass is prosecuting the case.
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Mexican National Indicted for Illegal ReentryRead the Press Release
Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the return of an indictment charging Juan Jose Ugalde-Monroy (33, Mexico) with illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. If convicted, Ugalde-Monroy faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison.
According to court documents, Ugalde-Monroy is a citizen and national of Mexico. He was previously removed from the United States on January 11 and January 15, 2017. On February 14, 2025, Ugalde-Monroy was arrested by Osceola County authorities on charges of not possessing a valid driver license, introduction of drugs into a controlled facility, and possession of cocaine. Ugalde-Monroy has not received the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security for the United States to apply for readmission to the United States.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.
Mexican National Arrested in San Antonio for Illegal Re-Entry was First Convicted in 1990Read the Press Release
SAN ANTONIO – A Mexican national was arrested in San Antonio on criminal charges related to his alleged illegal re-entry.
According to court documents, the U.S. Marshal Service Fugitive Task Force arrested Pedro Ruiz-Cisneros inside his residence on March 4. A criminal complaint alleges Ruiz-Cisneros was previously removed from the country five times as an aggravated felon—as early as April 1994 and as recently as June 2018.
In March 1990, Ruiz-Cisneros was convicted of second-degree robbery in Bell County and sentenced to five years confinement. Less than one year later, he was convicted in Bexar County for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to eight years confinement. Ruiz-Cisneros was later convicted of illegal re-entry—once in the Southern District of Texas and twice in the Western District of Texas—and sentenced to a total of 133 months in federal prison between 2007 and 2016.
Ruiz-Cisneros made his initial appearance in federal court on March 5 and is charged with one count of illegal re-entry. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.
The USMS Fugitive Task Force and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement Removal Operations are investigating the case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Marie Cordova is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Medical Billing Company Owner Sentenced for Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Scott Newcombe, age 41, of Plattsburgh, New York, was sentenced today to 1 year of probation, and ordered to pay $34,583.21 in restitution, for health care fraud.
Acting United States Attorney Daniel Hanlon; Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and Naomi Gruchacz, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), New York Regional Office, made the announcement.
As part of his guilty plea, Newcombe admitted that from approximately April 2020 through April 2023, he acted as the office manager and health care claims biller for two physicians’ practices in Plattsburgh through a company that he formed called SJ Healthcare Management Services, LLC (SJHMS). SJHMS charged a fixed monthly fee under which Newcombe performed various management, administrative, and billing services for the practices. He admitted that he submitted false and fraudulent claims to public and private insurers on behalf of those practices for services that, in some instances, were never provided and, in other instances, were provided at lower reimbursement rates than the amounts billed. For example, Newcombe admitted that he submitted claims to insurers for medical procedures that were purportedly performed by a provider on him but which, in fact, never occurred.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Gadarian and Adam J. Katz prosecuted the case.
Marquette Heights Felon Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Possession of a Stolen Firearm and Unregistered Destructive DevicesRead the Press Release
PEORIA, Ill. – A Marquette Heights, Illinois, man, Dalton Lee Mattus, 35, was sentenced on March 5, 2025, to an aggregate 57 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possessing a firearm as a felon, possessing a stolen firearm, and possessing an unregistered destructive device.
At the sentencing hearing in front of Senior U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm, the court was informed that Mattus had multiple prior criminal convictions within Tazewell and Peoria Counties that prohibited him from possessing a firearm. In May 2024, he was the passenger in a car that was stopped by Pekin Police Department officers. During the traffic stop, the officers confiscated a locked bag from the car. After obtaining a search warrant for the bag, they found a stolen Springfield Armory XD-S .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol and two unregistered destructive devices. The devices were made from cardboard tubing, metal BBs, and chemical powder used to make explosives. The officers also obtained a search warrant for Mattus’s residence, where they found three additional unregistered destructive devices, along with materials to make several more. Officers also seized 50 rounds of live ammunition and equipment used to assemble and disassemble firearms.
In sentencing Mattus, Judge Mihm commented that while this was a very serious case, what was most troubling was that the explosives were homemade and were intended to harm others. The judge commented that this is “about as bad as it gets.”
Mattus was arrested by the Pekin Police Department in May 2024, and a federal complaint was filed two weeks later, followed by a federal indictment in June 2024. He entered a guilty plea in October 2024.
The statutory penalties for possessing a firearm as a felon are not more than 15 years’ imprisonment. The maximum term of imprisonment for possessing a stolen firearm and possessing an unregistered destructive device is ten years’ imprisonment. Each count carries up to a three-year term of supervised release.
The Peoria Area Federal Firearms Task Force, comprised of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Peoria Police Department; the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department; Illinois Department of Corrections; and the Illinois State Police, investigated the case. The Pekin Police Department and Tazewell County Sheriff’s Department also participated in the investigation.
The case against Mattus is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Manchester Man Pleads Guilty for His Role in a Conspiracy to Traffic Cocaine to New Hampshire through the United States Postal ServiceRead the Press Release
CONCORD – A Manchester man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Concord for his role in a conspiracy to traffic cocaine to New Hampshire through the United States Postal Service (USPS), Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
David Orme, age 52, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, namely, cocaine. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante scheduled sentencing for June 23, 2025. The defendant was indicted on December 20, 2023, along with five other defendants. To date, Orme is the fourth defendant convicted in the conspiracy.
According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, the defendant was involved in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that shipped cocaine from Puerto Rico to Manchester, New Hampshire. A coconspirator in Puerto Rico sent a package that contained approximately 500 grams of cocaine to an address in Manchester and the defendant signed for it using a fictitious name in a controlled delivery. Ultimately, law enforcement seized the package. Between September 2020 and December 2021, the DTO shipped over 5.6 kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Manchester for redistribution.
The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three (3) years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
The United States Postal Inspection Service led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Gingrande is prosecuting the case.
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Man from Clear Lake, Iowa, Pleads Guilty to Producing and Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
A man who produced and distributed child pornography pled guilty today in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa.
David Bradley Garrison, age 43, from Clear Lake, Iowa, was convicted of sexual exploitation of a child and distribution of child pornography.
At the plea hearing, Garrison admitted that he sexually exploited a child in July 2021 by producing a visual depiction of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He also admitted that between June 2021 and August 2021, he distributed visual depictions of child pornography to other individuals.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Garrison remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Garrison faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 50 years’ imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, $95,200 in special assessments, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Devra T. Hake and Dillan Edwards, and it was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Iowa Department of Public Safety Division of Criminal Investigation, and Rockwell Police Department.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 24-CR-3054.
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Mahnomen Felon Indicted for Illegal Possession of FirearmsRead the Press Release
MINNEAPOLIS – A Mahnomen man has been charged with illegal possession of firearms as a felon, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, on July 17, 2023, Adam James Webster, 23, was found in possession of a Remington rifle and 12 gauge shot gun.
Because Webster has a prior felony conviction in Mahnomen County for third degree assault, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.
The indictment charges Webster with one count of illegal possession of firearms. He made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Alice R. Senechal in the District of North Dakota.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the White Earth Police Department, the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, the Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nichole J. Carter is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Luzerne County Woman Sentenced to 28 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug Trafficking OffenseRead the Press Release
SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Bethzaida Batista, age 52, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 28 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani for conspiring to distribute controlled substances including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine.
According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Batista previously pled guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl from between January of 2020 until June of 2023, within Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.
This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
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Louisville Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A Louisville, Kentucky, man was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in federal prison for engaging in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distributing methamphetamine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to court documents, Dominique Lewis, 24, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, distributing methamphetamine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Lewis distributed methamphetamine on 12 occasions and conspired to distribute methamphetamine from October 17, 2022, through April 27, 2023. On 2 occasions Lewis possessed of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and on 5 occasions he illegally possessed a firearm because he was a convicted felon. Lewis was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.
On August 3, 2020, in Shelby County Circuit Court, Lewis was convicted of two counts of theft by unlawful taking and two counts of criminal mischief in the first degree.
On August 3, 2021, in Jefferson County Circuit Court, Lewis was convicted of receiving stolen property, two counts of criminal mischief in the first degree, wanton endangerment in the first degree, and fleeing or evading police in the first degree.
On March 10, 2022, in Jefferson County Circuit Court, Lewis was convicted of theft by unlawful taking.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the ATF and the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Porter prosecuted the case with the assistance of paralegal Aaron Cooper.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF .
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Louisville Felon Sentenced to over 3 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a FirearmRead the Press Release
Louisville, KY – A local man was sentenced today to 3 years and 1 month in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm after having previously been convicted of a felony offense.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to court documents, Cameron Lester, 29, was sentenced to 3 years and 1 month in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a Springfield Arms, .45 caliber pistol, and ammunition, on August 30, 2024. Lester was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.
On July 21, 2023, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Lester was convicted of assault in the fourth-degree domestic violence third or greater offense within 5 years, strangulation in the second degree, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On July 30, 2021, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Lester was convicted of two counts of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, wanton endangerment in the first-degree, and assault in the fourth-degree domestic violence third or greater offense within 5 years.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the ATF and the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Porter prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent
violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Lancaster man pleads guilty to receiving child pornographyRead the Press Release
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Alexander Grupp, 32, of Lancaster, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer to receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who is handling the case, stated that in March 2018, Grupp was convicted in New York State Court of Possessing Obscene Sexual Performance by a Child less than sixteen years of age, and sentenced, in part, to 10 years' probation. In October 2022, Grupp communicated with a 15-year-old girl using the instant messaging application, Discord. During these conversations, Grupp persuaded the victim to send him nude pictures of herself.
The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
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